One of the most serious law enforcement issues is the life-threatening problem caused by high-speed chases. Such chases take lives, cause injuries and cause considerable property damage. A number of states and localities have outlawed law enforcement from engaging in high-speed pursuits for public safety reasons.
Additionally, control of vehicles at checkpoints such as borders, military bases or security perimeters, is or major concern to both civilian and military agencies in an ongoing War on Terror.
Because of the public safety issues as expressed in the preceding paragraphs, a number of prior art systems and devices have been developed for stopping vehicles in a high speed chase, fleeing or checkpoint-running situations. A number of these devices involve the rapid deflation of tires. The problem with the mechanisms of this type of device is that while they rapidly deflate the tires they do not stop the vehicle. Fleeing criminals often continue to drive the vehicles with deflated tires sometimes at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. A vehicle under the control of a fleeing felon going 20 mph is still a hazard to life and limb. Some fleeing criminals have been known to drive a vehicle on the tire rims for several miles and only stop when the vehicle catches fire, is otherwise disabled, or stopped, all of which constitute potential public safety hazards. Hence, tire deflation systems at best only slow rather than stop the vehicle and are therefore not a complete solution.
Another system involves the use of electromagnetic pulses. Such pulses produce a strong electromagnetic field which overrides the electrical system of the vehicle and stalls the engine. The problem with these systems is that they are large, bulky and expensive. More importantly, they are not targeted in their usage and effect. Such systems may disable other vehicles and even low flying planes and can impact medical devices such as the cardiac pacemakers and hearing aids of bystanders, thus producing a collateral risk to life and limb.
A number of prior art patents have issued which disclose systems for rapidly deflating vehicle tires. U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,102 discloses a tire puncturing spike strip, which can be placed on a road surface in front of a moving vehicle. The spike strip is comprised of essentially rectangular modular frame units with low height for easy storage in a trunk of a police vehicle, and the frame units have interlocking ends which can be quickly assembled in any desired length for placement across a roadway with spikes in a normal down position to allow safe passage of vehicles over the strip, but said spikes may be selectively and remotely activated to their up position electromechanically by an operator to target a specific fleeing vehicle. Once the fleeing vehicle crosses over the strip, the spikes may be electromechanically returned to their down position to allow pursuing police cars to safely cross over the strip and apprehend the disabled fleeing vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,029 discloses an anti-theft device for a pneumatic-tired vehicle, of the kind comprising means for automatically deflating a tire of the vehicle and deflating the tire when the device is actuated by control means and the vehicle is in motion, the deflating means being moved by the centrifugal force of inertia when the corresponding wheel rotates whereas they are inoperative in other cases, characterized in that the deflating means comprise movable means for closing at least one orifice through which air under pressure can escape from the tire, the movable closing means normally sealing the orifice when the device is inoperative and/or the wheel is stationary, whereas they unclose the orifice and allow air to escape when the device is actuated and as soon as the centrifugal force of inertia reaches a sufficient value to move them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,079 discloses a motorized traffic-way controller wherein a retractile tire barrier and opening gate barrier are coordinated to operate in unison by a motor drive that is recycled by closing a mode switch through cam controlled “stop” and “go” switches responsive to the position of the motor drive, the installation being above grade with low profile modules having retractile tooth configurations that project for tire damage, and with a signal barrier supported by a drive unit at the side of the traffic-way and in the form of an arm that is lifted when the tooth configuration is retracted, the modules and drive unit being adapted to coupled engagement one with the other when assembled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,166 discloses an apparatus for selectively deflating and inflating a tire mounted on a wheel which comprises a valve assembly rigidly and coaxially mounted on a vehicular wheel incorporating a reciprocally movable valve body received in a cavity of a valve housing, the valve body having a plurality of channels for directing gas to gas outlet ports for pressurizing the tire, the valve body moving to a first position to close off a gas exhaust port in the valve housing and a second position to open the exhaust port when pressurized gas to the valve from a pressurized gas source is terminated. The valve assembly includes a valve member movably secured on the valve body alternately opening and closing the gas directing channels as the valve body is moved between the first and second positions. In a driver education system additional power steering and power brake failure assemblies are incorporated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,756 discloses a vehicle tire deflator comprising a foldable and extendible frame with one or more rocker arms releasably carrying hollow spikes and having rocker arm actuators attached to the rocker arms to pivot said arms to position the spikes to enter a tire rolling over the deflator and to hold the rocker arm in position as the spike is withdrawn from the rocker arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,950 discloses an improved vehicle tire deflator that is foldable and can be deployed by pushing it or pulling it to an extended attitude across at least one full traffic lane. The deflator includes a plurality of rocker arms that are each pivotally coupled to base supports, forming a frame that is collapsible and when extended, includes a stop arrangement for holding the rocker arms apart. The rocker arms each include a plurality of actuators that incorporate spaced center holed and countersunk spike base bosses, each boss to accommodate an end of a hollow spike and attached resilient grommet fitted therein. When a tire rolls onto a rocker arm actuator, that rocker arm is canted towards the rolling tire tread, directing a hollow sharp spike into the tire tread to lodge therein as the tire continues to roll over the actuator, the resilient grommet absorbing forces as are exerted by the tire rolling over the hollow spike pointed end and the hollow spike is pulled out from its spike base boss seat and travels fully into the tire, allowing air from within that tire to vent therethrough.
Alternatively, for penetrating a steel belted tire, or the like, an insert that is formed of a hard steel, or the like, and has a pointed end can be fitted longitudinally into and maintained in each hollow spike, the insert pointed end to extend beyond the hollow spike pointed end to first contact the tread of a tire rolling thereover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,704 discloses a safety device for quickly arresting the movement of vehicles such as aeroplanes and motorcars by forming a retarding bed of crushable material adjacent to a vehicle track. A foam is formed from an aminoplast resin composition and layed down in a bed adjacent to the vehicle track where it is cured to produce a non-resilient cured foam body having a compressive strength between 15 and 50 p.s.i. and a density from 0.25 to 10 pounds per cubic foot.
As noted, there are a large number of prior art systems which deflate tires on a rapidly moving vehicle. All of these systems do not adequately address the need to completely arrest a moving vehicle, or otherwise safely stop a vehicle without further interaction or intervention by law enforcement, and with a minimized risk to the public.
It is an object of the present invention to improve other prior art tire inflation systems which only slow rather than stop fleeing vehicles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system which deflates the tire of a vehicle while simultaneously stopping the vehicle by locking the wheels of the vehicle, thus preventing their rotation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system which provides a novel system including a cable which entwines and stops the vehicle tires form spinning thus bringing the vehicle to a stop.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.